Dealers at the Cerritos Auto Square sold 49,563 cars and trucks last year, a big increase of 10,173 vehicles, or 26%, over the prior year, according to a Annie Hylton, the city's marketing manager.

That included 35,698 new vehicles and 13,865 used cars and cemented the center’s position as the biggest auto mall in the nation ranked by total vehicles sold, according to auto industry executives queried by Highway 1. (There is no formal ranking of auto malls.)

Cerritos collected more than $7 million in tax revenue from the mall during the first three quarters of 2012, and while the fourth-quarter number isn’t in quite yet, its likely to push car sales tax revenue to roughly about $10 million, about a 12% gain over the prior year.

Auto sales also generate a lot of economic activity for the city. The dealers at the auto mall also provide work for about 500 contractors.

The mall is home to some of the largest auto dealers in the U.S., including Norm Reeves Honda, which is the biggest Honda dealership nationally, according to American Honda Motor Co.